KuroFai Week 2017
by BeccaBear93
Summary: A collection of short fics written for KuroFai Week.
1. Sweet

A/N: God does it feel good to be writing for this fandom again! It's been 8 freaking years since I last wrote KuroFai, and I have missed these boys so much! This one takes place after TRC, so spoilers for... basically all of that, probably. I've been putting off reading TWC for forever though, so it might diverge from canon there.

Written for the first day of KuroFai Week, because for the first time ever, I was actually reminded about it in time to participate! The prompt was "Sweet".

...

They fell into the new world in an alleyway, Fai landing in a dumpster but somehow managing to hop out of it gracefully and remain clean. Syaoran unfolded himself from his spot on the asphalt while Kurogane grumbled something unintelligible about Mokona's inability to give them a proper landing.

"This looks a bit like Mokona's world!" Mokona exclaimed excitedly, glancing around at the cars and skyscrapers as they exited the alley.

"It looks like there's yet another similarity to your world, Mokona," Fai said. He pointed out a sign in a shop window advertising Valentine's Day gifts, and the small creature squealed happily.

"Oi, manjuu," Kurogane said, his face darkening. "Make sure the witch doesn't try to send us any 'presents' this time. I don't feel like giving up my other arm as payment."

Fai cringed guiltily, but quickly pushed it aside. "Now, now, Kuro-rin, don't you think you're exaggerating a bit? Yuuko is all about balance, and that doesn't exactly seem like an even trade to me," he said with a laugh.

Kurogane grunted and shrugged before continuing down the road. He watched the manjuu jabber happily into Syaoran's ear for a minute before realizing that the mage wasn't following them. He turned around to urge him on, but the words died in his throat.

Fai was still standing in front of the shop window, gazing at the poster with a small, wistful smile. He must have felt eyes on him, though, because he quickly turned to Kurogane with a brighter grin and rushed to catch up. At the other man's questioning look, he simply shook his head. "It's nothing, Kuro-puu."

Kurogane debated whether to push further, but it didn't seem like Fai was trying to hide anything too important, so he let it drop. That didn't mean that he forgot about it, though.

...

And that was how Kurogane found himself standing outside of their bedroom door the next day with a box of chocolates, feeling unusually nervous and bemoaning the fact that every store only seemed to carry heart-shaped boxes. He took a deep breath, mentally berated himself for worrying uselessly, and pushed the door open.

Fai was sitting on the bed, propped up against the wall and reading a book they'd found in the last world that had a similar enough language to his own to at least be understandable. He looked up as Kurogane strode into the room, blinking when he shoved something in front of his face. The awkward gesture didn't bother him. They both knew that Kurogane's strong point was actions, not words. Fai took it with a surprised laugh and looked over the box and the photo of the chocolate printed on it. "Aww, Kuro-rinta's so sweet!" he cooed, pulling the other man down onto the bed next to him.

"Shut up, mage," he muttered, though there was no heat to it.

"Kurogane..." Fai warned. He managed to keep his voice serious, but the upturned corners of his mouth gave away the fact that he wasn't actually angry.

Kurogane rolled his eyes at the irony of the situation, but obediently corrected himself, "Yuui."

Fai rewarded him with a brilliant grin. Though it was only when they were alone, it felt incredible to hear someone call him by his true name again after all these years. Neither of them would ever tell anyone, but he'd cried the first time Kurogane had called him Yuui, overwhelmed by both positive and negative emotions. Now that he'd had time to deal with those emotions, it only felt like release.

Turning his attention back to the gift, Fai opened the box and popped a chocolate into his mouth at random. After a few seconds of chewing, he let out a moan that made even Kurogane blush a bit. "Strawberry cream," Fai declared happily after he swallowed the candy. "It's so good! Thank you, Kuro-tan!"

Kurogane simply shrugged, though his lips quirked in what passed as a smile for him. "It's nothing."

"Oh, you should try one!"

Red eyes suddenly narrowed into a glare and his muscles tensed, ready to spring away if Fai tried to shove one of those monstrosities into his mouth. "No thanks," he growled.

"Fine, fine," Fai replied, waving his hand and laughing.

Kurogane continued to watch suspiciously as Fai ate another piece. The mage never gave in that easily.

After another minute, Fai closed the box and set it on the bedside table before turning to face the other man fully. Kurogane looked for signs of a trap, but there was no candy in the mage's hands or anywhere in sight. He relaxed as Fai placed a hand to the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Fai rose to his knees and turned to straddle his lap, the ninja's hands automatically falling to his waist. As the mage licked into his mouth, Kurogane froze. He could taste the chocolate on Fai's tongue, and the smug smile pressed against his lips told him that it was entirely intentional. Though he couldn't bring himself to really care, he still felt the need to have the last word when they finally parted for breath.

"Too sweet," he complained. Fai only gave a loud, honest laugh in response.

...

A/N: I debated switching from "Fai" to "Yuui" after Kurogane calls him that, but I thought it might feel too inconsistent. Please let me know if anyone has any opinions on whether I should change it or leave it as-is.


	2. Battle

A/N: This one takes place in Yama, so spoilers up until then, but there are also some non-explicit references to later parts.

Written for day 2 of KuroFai Week.

Warning for violence and injury.

...

Looking back, Fai blames it all on Yama.

Yama was when he was forced to learn how to communicate without words.

Yama was when he had no lies to hide behind when Kurogane gave him _that_ look—the one that said he could see right through him.

Yama was when they battled side by side and learned to move and watch out for each other like they were two halves of a whole.

Yama was when he was so exhausted that, for a short time at least, he forgot to keep his guard up and protect both himself and Kurogane with his walls.

Yama didn't mean much to him, aside from _danger_ as he was forced to stay in one world for far too long.

But it meant something to Kurogane, because Fai is fairly certain that Yama was when Kurogane fell for him. At the very least, it was when Fai figured it out.

Yes, it all started in Yama.

In fact, he could narrow it down even further than that. He could narrow it down to a single day, perhaps even a single moment.

...

Fai didn't pay much attention when one of the soldiers came to their tent to speak to Kurogane. It wouldn't do him much good anyways, since he could only understand about five words of their language. Even those five had taken a while for Kurogane to teach him, since even the individual sounds of their languages were so different.

When Kurogane came back in, though, he did tilt his head and shoot him a questioning look. "Hmm, Kuro-rin?" he asked, just to irritate the other man.

Kurogane gave a half-hearted glare before gesturing to his sword in explanation. There would be a battle tonight.

Of course there would be. There had been a battle _every_ night since they'd arrived. Fai rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his drawing, complicated swirls and letters that were close enough to magic to feel like home, but not enough to actually do anything. Kurogane paused to stare at it as he walked by, and Fai froze. He didn't bother hiding it; it was already too late, and he couldn't make any excuses even if he wanted to.

After a moment, Kurogane just grumbled something he couldn't understand and continued on. Fai hesitated for a moment before continuing the design. He could feel the ninja's eyes on him from where he sat on his cot, but what did it really matter at this point? Fai kept drawing.

...

The battle was the hardest yet, and Fai cursed himself for not taking drills more seriously that day. He didn't know what Ashura had said or done to motivate his men, but whatever it was, it had worked wonders. They were fiercer and more coordinated than ever before.

He could sense Kurogane not far behind him, no doubt facing the opposite direction so they would have no blind spots between the two of them. They'd abandoned the height advantage of their steeds in favor of stability, and honestly, Fai was thankful for it. He didn't want to see the creatures get hurt. Nor did he want to be stabbed from behind because he and the only person he trusted here couldn't watch each other's backs.

Fai shot arrow after arrow at the approaching men, watching them fall one by one. He tried to aim for non-lethal targets, but if he missed and someone died... Well, that was just what happened in war.

In a sick way, it was almost funny that Kurogane was the one who went to all lengths to not kill anyone, while he was the one who brushed it off with the ease of someone who had already seen far too much death.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Fai whipped around and shot the soldier who was charging at Kurogane. He fell mere feet away and Fai felt nauseous with the sudden rush of nearly simultaneous fear and relief. He did his best to ignore it and reached back into his quiver. His hand came back empty, his panic redoubling.

 _How?_ He'd never run out of arrows before, and there were still so many of Ashura's men left. Had he doubled his army in a single day?

A quick look around gave Fai his answer: it wasn't that Ashura's army had doubled, it was that Yasha's had been halved. It was sad, but there wasn't time to think about it too much, so Fai tossed his bow aside, said a silent apology, and grabbed a sword from the nearest corpse. Swordplay wasn't exactly his specialty, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Kurogane shouted something in his direction. The lilt in his voice told Fai that it was a question, but the only word he could understand was "mage"... It hadn't taken long to learn that one. In response, Fai gestured at the empty quiver on the ground before spinning to strike another soldier down. Kurogane nodded and turned away again.

As Fai pivoted to clash swords with yet another of the seemingly endless soldiers, he felt a sudden unbelievable pain in his side. In his mind, he was screaming as he fell; all that left his lips was a breathless gasp. Reflexively, he dropped his sword to press his hands to the wound as tightly as he could. When he raised his eyes, the man who had stabbed him was poised above him, ready to deliver the killing blow. Fai rolled out of the way with a moan. He could feel his muscles growing weaker and his vision getting hazy from the pain. The man growled in frustration and moved towards him again.

" _FAI!_ " Kurogane yelled, and that was what convinced him more than anything.

 _Ah,_ Fai thought, strangely calm. _Kuro-tan used my real name. I must be dying._

His eyes drifted closed, and he felt the warm splatter of blood across his skin and a large hand pressed painfully to his side.

Then there was nothing.

...

When he woke up, it was with short, gasping breaths, tears in his eyes, and a hand pressed to his shoulder.

"No," came the low voice to his side, and Fai realized that he had been trying to sit up and curl around the wound. He slowly laid back down and forced himself to relax as much as possible before looking up to the owner of the voice. Kurogane nodded and pulled his hand away.

"I thought I was going to die," Fai said with a weak grin. His own voice surprised him with how gravelly it was. He couldn't remember the last time he had said a full sentence aloud.

Kurogane babbled something back, a scowl on his face, and Fai let his smile fall away.

 _Just for a while._

He had a decent excuse, after all. Even the happiest person probably wouldn't be smiling in this situation.

"You know I can't understand you, Kuro-pii," he said. Kurogane responded in his own language, and Fai would have laughed if he wasn't sure it would hurt like hell. Why were they even bothering with this ridiculous conversation? They might as well have each been talking to a wall.

Kurogane mumbled something, softer, and then he was gently tugging the blanket down. Fai let it go without complaint and watched as the other man pulled his shirt up a bit to look at the wound. It was bandaged, but blood was starting to seep through. Kurogane cursed and stood up, moving to talk to one of the nurses.

Fai looked around and finally realized that they were in the medical tent. With that realization came another: Kurogane must have protected and taken care of him until they could be warped back here, and then carried him into the tent.

He couldn't decide whether to be angry or grateful.

Kurogane returned with the nurse in tow a moment later, arms crossed as he watched silently over her shoulder. He sat back down as soon as she was gone and stared at Fai for a long moment. "You—" he eventually started, then grit his teeth. For once, Fai was glad for the language barrier. He probably didn't want to hear whatever Kurogane had to say.

"I'm tired again, Kuro-tan," Fai said futilely. It wasn't even an excuse. He could feel himself drifting off even as he said the words. He yawned and let his eyes flutter closed again. The last thing he felt was a barely-there pressure against his palm.

...

The second time he awoke, Fai managed to catch the look of worry on Kurogane's face for just a moment before it was covered by his usual scowl. His hand was still wrapped around Fai's own. Fai stared for a moment, hesitating and feeling his walls crumbling just a bit more.

Why did this man have to be so determined to tear them all down?

Why did it have to be _him_ of all people?

Why did he have to make this so much more difficult than it should have been?

As Fai remembered what he would eventually have to do, he swallowed anxiously and finally pulled his hand out of Kurogane's grasp. He couldn't quite school his expression before the ninja noticed it, though.

Kurogane placed his hand over Fai's again, staring him in the eyes as he spoke. Although Fai couldn't understand the words, the intention was clear enough. His determined tone and expression spoke to some sort of promise.

Fai plastered on a grin and nodded along, pulling his hand away again and folding his arms. He pretended not to notice the irritation in Kurogane's eyes and started rambling to dispel some of the tension in the air.

...

A few weeks later, they spotted Syaoran on the battlefield.

Fai went along with Kurogane's plan, partially to help with Syaoran's training, but that wasn't the only reason. Though his wound was mostly healed, he wanted to make sure that it wasn't giving him any trouble at all by the time they left this world. It wouldn't do to worry the children, after all.

...

When they moved on to the next world, they explained what had happened to Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona.

They never spoke about Yama again after that, but Fai could always feel Kurogane watching him a little bit closer, protecting him a little bit more, and chipping away at his defenses a little bit faster.


	3. Music

A/N: Written for day 3 of KuroFai Week.

...

The court performers were nothing new to Kurogane, but they were new to Fai. He sat watching them with an utterly enraptured look for a few minutes before closing his eyes and just listening to the music with a small smile. Kurogane watched him instead.

When the first song ended, Fai's eyes opened slowly, as though he were coming out of a dream. "I didn't think you'd like this kind of music," Kurogane said quietly.

"It's kind of like the music from Celes. Just a bit..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Raspier, I guess?"

Kurogane nodded and pointed out a small section of the musicians. "That's the reeds. That sound is valued highly here."

"It's unique," Fai said, still wearing that same soft smile. "But why did you think I wouldn't like it, Kuro-sama?"

The ninja shrugged as the next song began. "I don't know. I guess I just thought you'd like the loud, fast music from some of the other worlds we've been to—the kind you can dance to."

The other man's grin sharpened, and Kurogane got the sudden feeling that he'd fallen into a trap that Fai hadn't even meant to set. "You can dance to _any_ kind of music, silly Kuro-rin. Here, I'll prove it." He stood and offered his hand to help Kurogane up.

Kurogane glanced around the court, unsure of what to do and panicking slightly. This was generally a time when everyone sat and quietly appreciated the music, and he wouldn't want their lack of decorum to reflect badly on the princess. They weren't even really supposed to be here, but she had insisted that the travelers get a taste of Nihon's culture. When he met Tomoyo's eyes, though, she simply smiled and nodded encouragingly. Looking back to Fai, Kurogane grumbled but accepted the outstretched hand. He really couldn't deny the mage anything when he was finally reaching out for real.

When Kurogane made no move beyond standing up, Fai rolled his eyes good-naturedly and chuckled. He placed Kurogane's hands on his hips and rested his own around the ninja's neck, slowly leading him into a gentle sway.

"Idiot." Maybe it was meant to be an insult, but Kurogane's voice relayed only fondness.

Fai shrugged with a quiet laugh. "Maybe."

Nihon's music seemed to go on forever, so they didn't dance for the entire song. Fai knew that sooner or later, Kurogane would tire of humoring him and would probably get angry. So after a few minutes, he shortened their steps until they weren't moving at all. He hesitated for a moment, searching Kurogane's eyes. As usual, they were unwavering, never leaving his own.

 _I promised I'd start actually living,_ Fai reminded himself, and with one last deep breath, he took the plunge.

Unclasping his hands, he pulled the other man down, close enough to press a short, chaste kiss to his lips. He was half-surprised when Kurogane's hands tightened on his hips and he kissed back. It was frustratingly short-lived, though, interrupted by a giddy (if slightly evil) laugh.

Kurogane jerked away, turning to glare at Tomoyo. "What the hell is that?" he asked the contraption she was hidden behind.

"It's called a video camera," Tomoyo replied, pulling it away for a moment to grin at him. The camera never left their faces.

"I know that!" he said angrily. "They've had them in some of the other worlds we went to! I meant, why the hell do you have it?"

"The other Tomoyo, from Piffle, sent it to me through Yuuko. She said I'd want it for when Sakura-chan came." Tomoyo paused, giggling. "She was right, of course, but Sakura-chan isn't the only one around here that's unbelievably adorable."

"I'll kill you," Kurogane threatened emptily.

"Now, now, Kuro-woof," Fai scolded, withholding his laughter. "Aren't you supposed to be the one who _protects_ Tomoyo-hime?"

Kurogane scoffed but didn't bother trying to argue. "Well, you got what you came for," he said, still glaring at the princess. "Satisfied now?"

"Very," Tomoyo answered with an innocent smile that he didn't believe for a single moment. "I'm sure this would be quite a valuable exchange for the Dimensional Witch, not to mention a few people closer to home." She glanced to Amaterasu, who waved and beamed at Kurogane with the same faux innocence as her sister. Sensing the ninja's growing anger, she held the camera behind her back and finished, "Well, I should go back to my place. I hope you both enjoy the rest of the show."

"Well that was certainly a loaded statement," Fai said, grinning as Tomoyo walked away.

"Always stating the obvious," Kurogane muttered.

"I don't suppose you're still up for more dancing?" Kurogane's glare was answer enough, but Fai hadn't expected any less. His smile remained firmly in place as he laced his fingers through Kurogane's and pulled him back to their seats. "Well then, let's just listen and enjoy the moment, hmm?"

"Tch."

Fai laughed at the predictable response, but he couldn't help but notice that Kurogane didn't let go of his hand through the rest of the performance.


	4. Dreams

With the theme of "dreams," I really couldn't resist a throwback to a very, very old fic of mine. Unfortunately, I dropped it after my computer died and took all my WIP files with it, but it was fun to return for that world for a short time. You don't need to have read it to get what's going on, though-just know that it's a college AU where Fai, Kurogane, and Syaoran are roommates. I'm still trying to get back into the swing of writing for Tsubasa, so this isn't exactly my favorite thing that I've written, but hopefully you guys enjoy it all the same.

Written for day 4 of KuroFai Week.

...

"Good morning, Kuro-rinta!"

Kurogane growled and swiped ineffectually at the air, feeling his bed shift as Fai leaped to his other side to avoid getting hit. If it were anyone else, they would be on the floor with a black eye by now. After a year of living together, Kurogane still didn't understand how his idiotic roommate always managed to sneak up on him.

"Were you having a good dream, Kuro-puu?" Fai asked. Kurogane recognized the tone that told him it was a trap, and _any_ answer would be the wrong one.

He groaned in irritation but gave in, opening his eyes just enough to glare at the other man. Fai just continued beaming like the innocent angel he most definitely was _not_. "Why the hell are you waking me up so early?" Kurogane asked instead of answering Fai's question.

"Shh, you'll wake Syaoran-kun up," he scolded, a finger in front of his lips.

"Just answer the question," Kurogane griped, but he kept his voice low after glancing over to see that the third occupant of their room really was still asleep.

"I just wanted to know what you were dreaming about," Fai replied with a laugh that put his roommate on edge.

Kurogane slowly sat up, shaking his head. He would never understand this man. After a moment's thought, he answered honestly, "I don't remember."

"Hmm... That's _very_ interesting, Kuro-tan," Fai said, tilting his head curiously.

"What the hell are you on about, idiot?"

"Well..." Fai trailed off teasingly, humming as he tried to make up his mind. Eventually, he decided to let Kurogane in on the 'secret.' Chuckling, he said, "I heard you say my name in your sleep!"

Kurogane just scoffed, even as the statement jostled something in his brain and he remembered a few images from his dream. He was sure it wasn't the first time he'd had it... Something about beating the shit out of Fai's ex, Ashura, and then something horribly cliché that he was sure he'd be embarrassed by if he could even remember it. At least Fai hadn't caught him in the middle of one of the raunchier dreams. Although he'd never admit it, those ones had been getting more and more frequent. "Must've been dreaming about murdering you or something," he shrugged off.

Fai's expression darkened for a moment, and Kurogane knew that he'd been caught in his lie. The smile was back as quickly as it'd gone, though, and Fai hopped off the bed. "If you really wanted to kill me _that_ badly, Kuro-wanwan, I'm sure you'd have managed it by now."

"I would have if it wouldn't land me in jail."

"Whatever you say, Big Puppy."

"What about you? What'd you dream about?" Kurogane asked, trying to sound like he didn't really care.

Fai's eyes darted away from him, and his smile softened into something bittersweet. "I had two," he answered, staring out the window. "A memory from a long, long time ago, and a future that could never happen." Seeming to realize that he was letting the mask fall, he forced a grin back on and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Well, I need to get ready for class! I'll see you later, Kuro-rin!"

As he turned to leave, Kurogane stopped him with a grunt. "Hey, idiot."

"Hmm?" Fai turned towards his roommate again, head tilted and eyes closed from the size of his grin.

"Why don't we... go do something tonight? Catch a movie or something. It's been a while, and it's not good to be cramped up in this room all the time."

Fai's eyes opened in surprise. Then he glanced to Syaoran's sleeping form and asked, "All three of us? That might be fun. Maybe we could even invite Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan along!" Kurogane shook his head, eyes drilling into him and willing him to understand. Fai stared at him for a long moment, then laughed disbelievingly. "...Sure, Kuro-woof. Why not?"

"...Good," Kurogane replied awkwardly. He hadn't really thought this through, and he certainly hadn't considered what he'd do if Fai actually agreed. Awkward really wasn't his thing, though, so he waved his hands as if to shoo Fai through the door. "Now hurry up before you're late."

"You're the one who stopped me!" Fai accused, snickering. He shook his head as he left the room with a slight spring in his step.

And if his smile came a little easier and was a little less forced that day, well. It was bound to happen. Moods came and went, after all. It didn't necessarily have anything to do with a certain gruff roommate who never wanted to admit to having actual emotions.

Except when it had absolutely everything to do with him.


	5. Bad Habits

A/N: I know this is technically late, but I was out for most of the day, and it's still the 27th somewhere in the world!

Honestly, I know this one is kind of silly, but I really enjoyed writing something so fun and light-hearted with just a tiny twinge of seriousness. Once again, this takes place after TRC, but ignores the canon of TWC since I haven't read it yet.

Written for day 5 of KuroFai Week.

...

None of them could quite remember when it happened, but at some point, Kurogane had bought a whiteboard. Other than their clothes, it was the one thing that consistently stayed with them from world to world.

Kurogane was simply proud that its intended purpose usually worked.

Fai wavered from irritated to ecstatic about it on any given day, depending on whether he was "winning" or not.

Syaoran thought it was hilarious, and although he'd never say it aloud for fear of his own life, maybe just a little bit cute.

Mokona was much more vocal about just how adorable it was, and frequently got thrown across the room for saying so (though there was always a suspiciously soft landing space when this happened).

...

Fai blinked sleepily, basking in the early morning sun for a few minutes before getting up to face the day. When he finally sat up and made to leave the bed, he was suddenly stopped with a blade at his throat. He stared down at Kurogane for a long moment as he waited for the adrenaline to wear off and his heartrate to return to normal. Then he gave a shit-eating grin, and Kurogane groaned.

"That's one for the board, Kuro-tan!" Fai chirped smugly.

"I still don't think that counts as a bad habit," Kurogane complained, sitting up and sheathing his sword again. "It's just a side effect of my training, and one of these days, it'll save your damn life."

Fai raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Has anyone ever snuck into our room to try to kill either of us in our sleep?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later, knowing the kind of people who come after us."

Fai rolled his eyes and finally stood up to get ready. "You're not talking your way out of a point, Kuro-sama."

"Whatever, mage," Kurogane replied, aiming for 'indifferent.' Judging from Fai's expression in the mirror that hung over the dresser, it came out closer to 'sulking child.'

...

"We're having sushi for lunch today," Kurogane announced. "Everyone's okay with that, right?"

Syaoran nodded, and Mokona did a happy little dance on his shoulder. Fai forced a grin. "Of course, Kuro-rin!"

Kurogane just stared him down for a long moment, and the smile slowly slipped from Fai's face. He cursed under his breath when Kurogane silently walked to the fridge and put a mark on the whiteboard.

"That's not fair! You baited me into that one!" Fai whined.

Kurogane just smirked. "It's completely fair. That's why I got this thing in the first place—so you'd knock that shit off. Stop lying, mage."

Fai rolled his eyes. "I know, I know... but that barely counts as a lie. It's not like it was about something that actually _matters_ , and you already knew that I hate fish."

"Doesn't matter how big or small it is," he replied with a shrug. "You still lied, you still faked a smile, it still counts."

"Fine," Fai huffed, "But I get to choose lunch if you're just going to be a jerk. We're getting pizza instead."

"Alright," Kurogane relented easily. He hadn't _really_ planned to go through with forcing the mage to eat his most despised food, after all.

Syaoran agreed quickly to the change in plans, too. Although Mokona was slightly disappointed, they went along with it, "So that Fai-mommy won't be sad!"

They prepared to leave, and once Syaoran was out the door, Fai held Kurogane back for a moment. He pressed a lingering kiss to the other man's lips, just to remind him that even though Fai didn't like losing, he still appreciated that Kurogane was only trying to help, in his own strange ways.

The ninja flashed him a quick grin, and Fai knew that he was forgiven for his slip-up too, as he always was.

...

Fai sat back with a contented sigh after he finished his dinner. After a few minutes, he stood up to drop his dishes in the sink and went to find out what Syaoran was up to.

As he walked away, Kurogane called, "That's a point, mage!"

Fai turned around with a confused look but understood after a few seconds. He groaned. "I don't suppose I can lose it by washing them now?"

Kurogane shook his head. "If you didn't remember on your own, it's too late now."

Fai smiled grimly. He'd expected as much. He returned to the sink to take care of his dishes anyways and was rewarded with Kurogane's subtle smile, so it was worth it. Maybe.

...

Kurogane opened the bedroom door and was surprised when the sliver of light revealed Fai already asleep, curled up facing the opposite direction. He flicked off the hallway light and returned to the room, closing the door behind him as quietly as possible.

Fai heard the soft 'fwump' of Kurogane's clothes hitting the floor and gave a giggle that revealed he was still awake. "Point, Kuro-rinta!" he sang.

Kurogane sighed and picked his clothes back up, tossing them into the basket and crawling into bed behind the mage. He wrapped an arm around his waist, and Fai twisted awkwardly to press a kiss to his nose before shifting to get comfortable. Kurogane huffed a laugh against the back of his neck and settled in to sleep.

...

"Dammit, mage," Kurogane snarled, his arms boxing the other man in against the wall. Fai was giving him _that_ look, though, and he'd already forgotten what he was supposed to be mad about. Not that he'd give him the satisfaction of admitting that.

"What are you gonna do about it, Kuro-sama?" Fai asked with a low chuckle. He looked up at the other man through his lashes and Kurogane growled, sending a shiver down his spine. He wasn't even slightly surprised to find himself suddenly pressed tight to the wall by another body and being kissed like Kurogane intended to devour him.

There was the polite sound of a throat being cleared, and Kurogane jerked away with a rather violent blush. Fai only laughed. Syaoran continued down the hallway, squeezing past them without bothering to look up from his book. "That's a point for both of you," he said, his tone almost bored as he went to make the marks.

"...Dammit," Kurogane swore, at the same time Fai moaned, "Not _again_..."

...

A/N: I've written so many fics in the past where Syaoran was scarred by stumbling across Fai and Kurogane making out in places they probably shouldn't be. I thought it'd be a fun change to write about him being so completely used to it that he doesn't even bat an eye haha


	6. NSFW

A/N: I considered writing something that was _actually_ NSFW for this one, but... Well, that isn't exactly a strong point for me (especially if I tried to write it in a single day), so I thought, 'Why not get a little bit meta instead?' So I hope you enjoy this bit of pointless silliness!

Written for day 6 of KuroFai Week.

...

When they came back from their first grocery trip in the new world, Fai and Kurogane were surprised to find Sakura staring intently at the screen their host had propped on a desk. "Is something interesting on the television, Sakura-chan?" Fai asked. He dropped his bags on the table and moved to stand behind her, making a quiet noise of confusion when he realized that there was only text on the screen instead of the moving images they'd seen in other worlds.

Sakura shook her head. "It's not a television, Fai-san. She said it was called a computer, and that you can find almost any information you could possibly want on it. I thought that maybe I could help with research on the feather."

"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan," Fai said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, good thinking, Princess," Kurogane added, appearing behind them to lightly ruffle her hair.

Sakura beamed proudly at them for a moment before turning back to the computer. "It's a little strange, though..." she said, staring down while she slowly poked at the keyboard.

"What is?" Fai asked curiously.

"Well, she said that sometimes people look up themselves just for fun, because it can show them other people with their names or old pages that they'd made themselves and forgotten about... But when I looked up my name..." She trailed off as she finished, leaning back and gesturing to the screen. "It's all pictures of _me_ , even though we've never been to this world before. Some of them look like when I was younger, but always in such strange outfits. Look! I'm even flying in this one!"

"That is strange," Fai admitted, leaning down to view the results. "Maybe there's another version of you here?" he suggested, but Sakura shook her head.

"I asked our host about it, and she said that we're all... _characters_ in this world. In stories, and on the television. People even draw art to show how much they like 'us.' Isn't that funny?"

"Some of that's real," Kurogane said, pointing out a black and white picture of Sakura standing in the Cat's Eye Café.

She nodded. "It seems like some of the stories are actually about everything that's happened since we all met, somehow... Maybe someone has been following us through the worlds and spying on us," she said worriedly.

Fai's gaze darkened, but he rested a comforting hand on the princess's shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Sakura-chan, and if it is... Well, I'm sure Daddy will take care of it," he concluded with a mischievous grin. Kurogane barely bothered with a grunt of annoyance in response to the nickname. "In the meantime, this could be fun! Do you mind?" He gestured to the keyboard, and she shook her head and slid the chair back to give him some room. Fai hovered over it for a moment and then gave a nervous laugh. "Oops! I forgot I don't know the letters of this world!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes and slid the keyboard to his side of the desk. He started to type in Fai's name, but the mage cut him off. "We should see what they know about Kuro-rinta!" Kurogane shot him a quick glare but put in his own name.

"Oh, look how handsome your papa is, Sakura-chan!" Fai said, letting out a fake whistle. Sakura laughed and tried not to blush. Then Fai pointed to a picture of Kurogane crouched on a roof, his sword thrust out to his side. "But what's with _that_ scary face, Kuro-tan?"

Kurogane stared at it for a long moment before answering shortly, "That was in my home world." Though he still missed Nihon, the person in the picture somehow felt like someone else. It almost made him wonder if he would still have a place there when he finally made it back... or maybe, on the other hand, this was exactly what Tomoyo had hoped for when she'd sent him away.

Fai was watching him out of the corner of his eye, a calculating look on his face, but the grin came back up as soon as Kurogane turned to him. "I'm sorry we haven't found your world yet, Kuro-sama! I'm sure it won't be too much longer before you can get back to your princess!" Kurogane just shrugged.

"You can also do this," Sakura suddenly said, poking at the screen. The pictures disappeared and were once again replaced with text. "And if you find something you like, you can save it for later like this!" She tapped on a little star in the corner and it turned blue.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan! I'm sure that will be very useful when we find some clues about the feather."

"Oh, look!" the princess said, distracted from the conversation by her excitement. "This one has _both_ of your names!"

"What the hell does 'NSFW' mean?" Kurogane asked rhetorically before tapping on the link she'd pointed out. The screen turned green and a bunch of buttons popped up. After a moment, a picture loaded and Kurogane choked on his own spit as he frantically poked at various points on the computer.

"Oh my!" Fai said, his tone caught somewhere between shock and amusement as he quickly covered Sakura's eyes. He could feel her face burning up under his hands.

"How the hell do you get rid of something on this, Princess?" Kurogane asked.

"Um, um...!" Sakura pointed blindly to the upper corners. "You can hit that arrow to go back to the last page, or that X to get rid of everything!"

Fai and Kurogane shared a look. After a long moment, Kurogane hesitantly poked the star before tapping on the X.

"Okay, it's safe now, Sakura-chan!" Fai declared, removing his hands from her eyes only for her to bury her bright red face in her own hands. "That was certainly unexpected, wasn't it?"

"Yes!" Sakura squeaked out. "I-I'm very sorry, Fai-san, Kurogane-san! I didn't mean to see that!"

Fai laughed. "That's okay, Sakura-chan. None of us meant to see it. You couldn't have possibly known what would happen. Besides, it's not like it was real, right Kuro-rin?"

"Right," Kurogane agreed, still trying to school his features.

He very carefully didn't look at the mage, who was shooting him a look over the princess's head that said ' _Yet._ '


	7. Home

A/N: Did anyone ask for ridiculously overdone sap? No? Well, it's too late now, that's what you're getting this time.

Written for day 8 of KuroFai Week. I will never cease to be addicted to domestic fluff and the "found family" theme, so this is the result of giving me a free day haha

(For day 7, I made a playlist instead of a fic. You can find details and the link on my new CLAMP sideblog if you're interested (clampownsmyass on tumblr).

...

Although Fai was excited to visit Syaoran and Sakura, he was even more excited to return to Nihon afterwards. Kurogane hadn't been able to come with him this time, obligations keeping him chained to the castle, and their family just wasn't whole without him. So it's with a racing heart and breathless anticipation that he finally steps into the castle.

Tomoyo is already there to greet him. "Welcome home, Fai-san," she says with a small smile. He returns it and follows as she leads him through the halls.

Home.

It's something he never really thought he'd have. Something precious. Something that he will never take for granted.

"Thank you, Tomoyo-hi—" It only takes a single raised eyebrow to cut him off. Fai laughs and corrects himself. "Tomoyo-chan. Why am I allowed to call you that, by the way? Kuro-tan has known you _much_ longer than I have, but _he_ still calls you by your title."

To his surprise, Tomoyo giggles. "That is his own choice. I think of Kurogane as almost a brother, but he places his duty to me above our personal relationship." Fai opens his mouth to object and she shakes her head. "It's okay, I understand. It's just the way he is. It doesn't necessarily mean he's distancing himself. He's just a bit awkward."

Fai barks out a laugh. "He probably wouldn't like it if he heard you say that."

"Probably not, but we both know it's true," she says with a playful grin. "He has trouble expressing affection sometimes."

Fai smiles back and doesn't bother to disagree. Tomoyo stops walking suddenly and he glances down the hallway to their left, feet itching to sprint down it as fast as he possibly can. He resists the urge, but Tomoyo's expression says that she can see his thoughts as clear as day.

"There will be a banquet later to celebrate your return," she says. All traces of the casual interactions from just a minute ago disappear and Tomoyo-chan once again becomes the princess.

"But—"

"It's already been arranged, Fai-san. You wouldn't want to put all the planning to waste, would you?"

His mouth snaps shut and he levels a short glare at her. Trust Tomoyo to know exactly which buttons to press to stop him from arguing.

"It won't be for a while longer, though," she continues. Her gaze drifts down the hall before she turns back to Fai with a soft smile. "I'm sure there are some things you'd like to do before it starts."

"Thank you," he says, heartfelt. Tomoyo nods and turns away, pretending that she can't hear him running behind her.

Fai stops outside the door and takes a moment to calm himself. It doesn't work. He slides the door open, crashing into Kurogane before he even has time to fully turn around.

Kurogane chuckles and wraps his arms around Fai. He doesn't complain when the mage promptly tries to squeeze the life out of him. "Have a good time?"

Fai nods and the words come out muffled against his chest. "It was great. But I missed you."

"I would've gone with you if I could."

"I know. Don't worry, though! I remembered to send them lots of love from Daddy!" he says, hiding a smirk.

Kurogane rolls his eyes but doesn't respond. He reaches up to pull the tie out of Fai's long hair and runs his fingers through it for a few minutes before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Welcome home," he eventually says quietly.

Home.

There's that word again.

And it's not a new revelation that strikes Fai, but one that hits him again every time he has to leave. Every time he has a place to come back to.

Although he calls Nihon home now, Fai knows that _this_ is his true home. Here, in the peaceful stillness of this room, is where he finds it most often. But really, it's in Kurogane's arms. It's where he can lay his head. Where he can put his thoughts to rest. Where he can always return when it feels like his world might crumble around him again. Where he can not only take strength, but give it as well. Where he can be Kurogane's support and cherish him as much as he deserves.

Home is where the heart is, after all.

Fai smiles and gives a contented sigh.

"I'm home."

...

A/N: And with that, KuroFai Week is over! That's so sad, it feels like it barely even started! I'm not going away so soon, though. I get the feeling I won't be drifting out of this fandom again for _quite_ a while. This week has been so much fun, but there'll be more to come soon enough!


End file.
